Hearts star plays down Parkhead trauma factor ahead of Celtic return
Hearts star Oisin McEntee has played down the heartbreak factor ahead of Sunday's clash with Celtic.
Hearts will head to Parkhead on Sunday for the first time since the final game of last season, when they suffered a devastating defeat to lose out on the Premiership title.
The Jambos were excellent last season, it must be said, but they were ultimately caught by Celtic, who recovered from a poor start to the season and went on quite the run that came to a head on the final day, when they snatched the title from Hearts' grasp.
Hearts players have repeatedly spoken of their heartbreak since that day, although there has been a significant amount of change, with manager Derek McInnes and top scorer Lawrence Shankland having left the club since.
But many players remaind, and it has been a solid start from Hearts despite them being in what will likely be seen as a transitional season by many.
They have picked up 16 points from eight games, and that puts them five points behind Celtic and three behind Rangers at this stage.
Sunday's clash with Celtic gives Hearts the chance to close in on Celtic, making it a big early-season game.
Speaking to the Edinburgh Evening News, McEntee said: “They’ll just want to go there and win the game.”
“It was a tough one with a really bitter taste, and it was one of the toughest moments of my career,” explained the 25-year-old.
“I think a lot of those boys in the squad now are new boys. They have their own careers, their own goals and stuff, so I don’t think they’ll be too fussed about it. They’ll just want to go there and win the game. It’s so early in the season and you want to pick up as many points as you can. It’ll be a great place to do it, so I think all the boys are confident going into it.”
Celtic have struggled against all of the decent or good sides they have played so far this season, and that means we still haven't truly seen what their level is.
The Bhoys couldn't compete properly with Rangers across two games with them in the space of the week, so it will be interesting to see if they can get the better of Hearts, who are pretty clearly the next best team in the Premiership as things stand.
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